Tuesday 10th August 2010

Lotus Reveals Exos T125 Hardcore Track Car

And no, it's not another Elise/Exige

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Lotus has unveiled a new track toy in California called the Exos Type 125 that looks like it could blow track-only rivals from the likes of Ferrari, Pagani, and even Caparo into the weeds.

Just 25 examples of the car will be built - at a rumoured price of more than £600k.

For your moolah you get a 10,800rpm 645bhp 3.5-litre Cosworth V8, a carbon-fibre monocoque and a power-to-weight ratio getting close to 1000bhp per ton.

You also get membership of the 'Exos Club', which will run five track events around Europe next year, with the support of racing instructors, mechanics, and even fitness instructors.

You can even take it to your own track days without mechanical support, too; Lotus says the engine will last almost 3000 miles between rebuilds and you can even start it yourself from inside the car (ooh, the luxury).

Despite the F1-inspired tech and design, the project is said to have very little to do with the F1 team, having been created instead at Lotus Cars' Hethel HQ - where the T125 will be built.

The Exos was unveiled at the Monterey Motorsports Pre-Reunion last Saturday, but will make its public debut proper at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California, which starts on Wednesday.

First deliveries of the Exos are expected next spring.

[Atrophy]

That looks better than their F1 car!!

[MiniMadMike]

600k!! I'll take two!

[IainT]

Cheaper to go and buy a real race car and totally irrelevant to almost all people...]

Was quite excited by the title thinking it'd be something in a similar mould as the Seven...

[MarJay]

IainT said:

Cheaper to go and buy a real race car and totally irrelevant to almost all people...

A real race car would be harder to maintain and less practical for trackdays.

Edited by MarJay on Monday 9th August 15:47

[evenflow]

[jackbarclay]

Well given the choice between a $2.5 fxx and four £600,000 loti for me and my friends, I know where i'd put my money.

[MotoWorld]

It looks the business for sure, personally, being poor means that an Caterham would do me better though Not sure how it can be 600 if its not anything to do with F1! A Lambo is only 150 grand or so and an Atom £30 to £40 thousand ( http://www.arielmotor.co.uk )

[MotoWorld]

It looks the business for sure, personally, being poor means that an Caterham would do me better though Not sure how it can be 600 if its not anything to do with F1! A Lambo is only 150 grand or so and an Atom £30 to £40 thousand ( http://www.arielmotor.co.uk )

[M400 NBL]

Forget the cost of an engine rebuild. How about a nose cone or anything else that might get smashed off. Or is track day insurance not too bad these days?

Looks really nice though

[Risotto]

An F1 car looks and behaves the way it does because it is designed to meet strict regulations.

Without such limitations, I suspect the F1 cars would look very different.

Edited by Risotto on Thursday 28th July 13:01

[Forbes82]

MotoWorld said:

It looks the business for sure, personally, being poor means that an Caterham would do me better though Not sure how it can be 600 if its not anything to do with F1! A Lambo is only 150 grand or so and an Atom £30 to £40 thousand ( http://www.arielmotor.co.uk )

How is this anything like a Lambo or an Atom though?

[Andy T]

I dont get it. Lotus can't possibly be wasting millions of pounds developing what is in effect an F1 car for the public. It must be a bought in chassis, i.e dallara or something.

What a weird thing for Lotus to do. They seem to be spending their time and resources trying to mess up their heritage and alienate their current customer base.

Lotus management, what are you smoking at the moment?

[edb49]

I think it's fantastic. It's just as irrelevant as the Ferrari FXX etc, but I bet it's much, much quicker. And let's face it, if you liked track days and had £600k to spend on a track car, is there anything you'd prefer to this?

[Spiritual_Beggar]

Atrophy said:

That looks better than their F1 car!!

Probably quicker too

[Lione1 Richie]

If you like trackdays and have 600K to spend you are probably already involved in a race series so this is pointless (imo).

Lotus really are jumping the shark at the minute.

[Ikemi]

Andy T said:

What a weird thing for Lotus to do. They seem to be spending their time and resources trying to mess up their heritage and alienate their current customer base.

Lotus management, what are you smoking at the moment?

Really? Surely with only 25 cars being built, these will all be bought by wealthy businessmen in no time at all! I personally think it looks epic and the closest thing to a F1 car for the public - I imagine this will attract most potential buyers

[edb49]

Lione1 Richie said:

If you like trackdays and have 600K to spend you are probably already involved in a race series so this is pointless (imo).

Lotus really are jumping the shark at the minute.

But if you're a rubbish driver then a race series will expose this, but if you go to a track day with no other cars or much slower ones, you can zip around them in this bad boy.

[Andy T]

edb49 said:

I think it's fantastic. It's just as irrelevant as the Ferrari FXX etc, but I bet it's much, much quicker. And let's face it, if you liked track days and had £600k to spend on a track car, is there anything you'd prefer to this?

Not really, because the Ferrari is based on one of their own road cars, it's a showcase of what Ferrari can do with their technology, the pinnacle of their expertise. The Lotus isn't. It seems to be a bought in F1 chassis with a lotus badge on it.

If it isn't and it turns out to be a totally ground-up design, developed and manufactured totally by Lotus Cars then I'll be shocked. But then that begs the more important question of why? If the answer is so that they can say they have the technology to be able to build one, and that it will filter down into their road cars, well sorry, but they can do that already, there happens to be a Lotus F1 team, just as their happens to be a Ferrari F1 Team.

So I'm still confused, it sends out all the wrong messages for me.

[sootyrumble]

Ikemi said:

Andy T said:

What a weird thing for Lotus to do. They seem to be spending their time and resources trying to mess up their heritage and alienate their current customer base.

Lotus management, what are you smoking at the moment?

Really? Surely with only 25 cars being built, these will all be bought by wealthy businessmen in no time at all! I personally think it looks epic and the closest thing to a F1 car for the public - I imagine this will attract most potential buyers

Wonder if it can be driven to the track too ;-)

[TonyHetherington]

MotoWorld said:

It looks the business for sure, personally, being poor means that an Caterham would do me better though Not sure how it can be 600 if its not anything to do with F1! A Lambo is only 150 grand or so and an Atom £30 to £40 thousand ( http://www.arielmotor.co.uk )

Surely this should be compared more to a Caparo T1 or even, because it's not road legal, to the FXX or Zonda-R. In which case it's cheaper and more free to do with what you wish.